No More Synthehol
by rhyejess
Summary: Jack and Ennis are two enlisted men who've made a life together on the Starship Enterprise NCC1701D. Well, as much of a life as Ennis del Mar will allow. But Guinan has other ideas.
1. Chapter 1: Ten Forward

**Disclaimer: Some characters belong to Annie Proulx, some to Gene Roddenberry. I make no profit off of this. This is a fun crossover, keep that in mind!**

**Chapter 1: Ten Forward **

Jack took another sip of the synthehol. It tasted good, right, but it didn't burn his stomach, it lacked. Wasn't quite real _enough_. Like another drug he wished he had possession of.

Ennis del Mar was sitting on the other side of Ten Forward, the way he always did. This was some bullshit ritual. It'd started as weekly thing, but it had quickly grown to daily. Jack went to Ten Forward after his shift in the Astrophysics Lab. Ennis, whenever Security let him out (they kept less regular schedules than the Astrophysics Lab staff-- alright, that wasn't true-- Astrophysics kept plenty irregular schedules, but always in favor of fewer hours, not more, like damned Security), would saunter into Ten Forward as well, sit on the other side of the room drinking his own synthehol, and saunter back out again. Jack always followed a couple minutes later like a little puppy, followed Ennis straight to his small quarters, and usually spent the night there. Not just fucking, either. They ate dinner, played games, talked. What was ridiculous was how long they'd kept that up. That'd been the regular routine for the nearly three years Ennis had served on the Enterprise. Jack took another sip, faster, harder.

"You look like you could use this." A tender voice at his elbow awoke Jack from his anger-stare across Ten Forward.

He smiled up at Guinan. She was holding a bottle of genuine alcohol. Whiskey. From Earth. "Yes, ma'am, do believe I could."

"Well that's too bad, because this one was heading for Ennis del Mar's table." Belaying her words, she sat down across from Jack, still with the bottle-- and two tumblers-- on her tray. "Did you know I heard a rumor that he's gay?"

"That so?" He narrowed his eyes at her, wondering where Guinan was heading.

"Yup. But I have bigger news."

"What's that?" Jack stared lazily out of the large picture-windows opening onto the stars.

"He and his boyfriend are getting married."

Jack's eyes flew back to hers, wide.

"Oh, not yet. But they will. You watch and see." She was using that smile that made you feel like you were being looked right through. "Anyway," she added, "this whiskey was supposed to be for the two of them, but I see he's always sitting alone. If you want some you better speak up."

Jack held her eyes for a moment, knowing he wore his heart in those blue eyes and wondering what Guinan saw there. He stood, reached towards her tray to snatch the whiskey by the neck, holding the tumblers between his fingers of his other hand, and walked across Ten Forward. He could feel Guinan's smile even on his back. He plunked the glass and tumblers in front of his man, saying only, "Guinan won't let us have it 'less we drink it together."

Ennis seemed flustered, annoyed, confused, and most of all thirsty for some real whiskey. "'Right then." He set about pouring.

Yoshimoto Ayame was the first to pounce. The young Japanese astrophysicist worked with Jack, almost his direct supervisor, though she tended to need more supervision than she gave. She and Jack had grown close. He'd always been drawn to her bubbly enthusiasm, and she'd drawn him out as well.

Before they'd even finished their first tumblers full of whiskey, Guinan'd gone to where Ayame and her husband Heriberto Hernandez were sharing drinks. Whatever Guinan'd said to Ayame had its effect, because in a second she was dragging her dark-skinned soft-spoken Guatemalan husband (whose dark eyes and bulky shoulders Jack had long admired) across Ten Forward towards Jack and Ennis.

Without hesitation she pulled up a chair, Eddie following suit after a hesitant pause. Ayame was already off. "Jack! Oh my God! Married? Why didn't you tell me! You should have told me! Ennis! I am sooo glad to meet you! I've heard sooo much about you! Oh my God! This is sooo exciting. Sooo exciting. We need champagne!" And she was up again and moving towards the bar. She'd spoken loud enough for half of Ten Forward to hear her.

Jack peered across the table at Ennis. He seemed frozen in some sort of horror and pain, like he was thinking that maybe if he sat still long enough no one would know he was there.

"Jack," Eddie offered his hand. "Congratulations. Ennis, it's nice to meet you." Ennis didn't so much as lift his eyes from his whiskey glass towards the man.

"Thanks," Jack said, "but I think ya'll been misinform—"

"Jack! Here, some champagne." Ayame was back. "So when is the date? Oh, you probably haven't set it yet. Are you thinking of a more traditional Earth wedding, or…? I hear on Risa when members of the same sex get married they—"

"Hello, I hear congratulations are in order." The sweet voice of Counselor Troi joined the cacophony, Jack all smiles but trying to hide it in the flurry of misinformed excitement. Goddamn he had to admit he liked him and Ennis being fawned over like this, almost as much as he liked fawning over Ennis himself. Ennis was still frozen in stone staring into the whiskey glass. Ayame, unphased, was whispering about Risan wedding ceremonies to the sternly quiet Ennis. Eddie, bored and finding his champagne interesting, turned towards Troi, his superior officer.

"Thank you, counselor, but I think that might be a bit premature." Jack had been seeing Counselor Troi for two years now, to bitch about Ennis, mostly. She wanted them to come for couples counseling, but the odds of getting Ennis near a counselor at all was a million to one. Make her empathic, and Ennis would rather kill himself, Jack laughed to himself.

Troi's face was smiling, but her eyes were serious. "Well, I'm sure whatever you two work out, you'll be happy together. Ennis?" She stared at him until he looked up at her. Even he was conscious of the pips on her collar, Jack knew. "I'm glad you've finally found this courage. Ensign Yoshimoto. Lieutenant Hernandez. What do you say we leave these two lovebirds alone for a little bit?"

Even Ayame nodded silently at that one. Before she walked away, though, she threw her toothpick arms around Jack for her signature squeeze-and-squeal. She stomped her foot with excitement and said, "This is so awesome. Oh my God! See you tomorrow!"

Alone again in utter silence, Jack stared across the table at Ennis. Ennis didn't sit there long, though. He downed the rest of his whiskey in one gulp, and stormed out of Ten Forward. Jack got the feeling he'd be sleeping in his own quarters tonight.

Jack stayed put, drank his whiskey, no sign of Guinan. Seemed even Ayame and Eddie had left Ten Forward. Worry filled every one of Jack's pores for that secretive man. It was the twenty fourth century, and there was no need to be secretive. Jack was already openly gay on board the ship, and had been a participant in the Alliance Club's weekly activities for four years. But Ennis was different. His father hated gays. Jack knew what that was like, his own father being not much better. Things in rural Wyoming hadn't changed much, even in hundreds of years. They'd changed some, sure. No one was killed over being gay, and many folks were openly homosexual, but that didn't mean a daddy was any too happy to find out his son was one of the crowd. Jack's daddy'd spit on him the day he came out, and they'd begun years of a silent war, the dining room table a replication of the Romulan Neutral Zone.

Ennis's father'd been worse, though. Ennis had told Jack about a time at a bar when his father'd beat the crap out of a gay man. The fact that his father had no problems laying hands on his own son had convinced Ennis early that being gay to his father would have resulted in death. Ennis never did shake the feeling that his father was following him around everywhere, even though the man'd died nearly five years ago. Ennis couldn't seem to accept that life in Starfleet was hundred percent different than in rural Wyoming. Basic hadn't helped none either. That was where he and Ennis met—they did Basic and survival training together for Starfleet enlisted, found they hailed from the same state, found they had halves of the same soul. Still, Jack was picked on plenty in Basic for being gay. Ennis escaped the ridicule, unsuspected. Lots of people knew one way or another at Basic that Jack had a secret lover somewhere on base. When Jack snuck out at night, it was what they assumed. When Ennis snuck out at night, they assumed he had to call a girlfriend back home. That was just the persona his Ennis exuded.

But they weren't in Basic. Life on a Starship was different, surrounded by highly educated officers, all of whom had spent their share of years in San Francisco. And the _Enterprise_ was different a step beyond that. The best and the brightest. Jack had pulled every string he'd known to get Ennis reassigned here, and it'd worked, thanks to Ennis's tireless work ethic and strong back. Both their evals kept coming out shining, and as long as they could keep that up, they'd both be stationed here, on this flagship of the fleet. If Ennis couldn't come out of the closet here, he didn't stand a chance anywhere.

Jack kept knocking back the whiskey, trying to understand Ennis for the millionth time in the six years they'd known each other, trying to understand Guinan with the foreknowledge that even Ennis was simpler than that woman.

They'd keep serving here as long as their evals were good. They were practically living together, but all it would take was one up-and-coming enlisted star to send one of them spiraling to some other starship… alone.

But not if they were married. Then they'd always have to go together. Jack had never thought he'd be aiming for a real-life, official marriage with Ennis, but now that the topic had been brought up, he couldn't see himself wanting anything else. Swallowing the rest of his whiskey, he headed back to his quarters for the night. On the way out he noticed that Guinan was still smiling.

------------

"Johnson, del Mar, Perez. When the Orion ambassador comes on board, you three will be his security detail. Meet him in Transporter Room Three and take him to his quarters before bringing him to see the Captain."

"Yes, sir" "Yessir," "Sir," the men responded.

The men turned to leave the bridge, where they'd been summoned by Worf, the Chief of Security. Just as they were reaching the turbolift, Worf spoke again, his jaw working with discomfort, as it always did when he stepped outside of his personal box.

"Mr. del Mar. Congratulations on your… upcoming engagement."

With no idea what to say to that and no desire to contradict a superior office, Ennis nodded before burying him behind the guys in the turbolift. The doors closed none too soon for him.

"Ennis?" Hugo Johnson spun around to face Ennis. "You're getting married? When did this happen?" Hugo was a social fellow. Not like Jack, but talkative enough.

Joe Perez was looking at Ennis funny, too.

Hugo continued, "Who's the lucky girl?"

Joe chuckled a little at the question.

"What?" Hugo asked.

"Silly," Joe shook his head, "Ennis is gay. He's been seeing Jack Twist for years."

"What?" Hugo's eyes flew open. "Jack Twist… sounds familiar, but I don't know him."

Ennis was doing his don't-move-and-no-one-will-notice-you signature move.

"But Ennis dated Carol Simons a couple years back." Hugo's eyebrows were furrowed.

"Yup," Joe nodded, "right before he broke up with her to take up with Jack."

"Oh. Wow. You guys have been together a long time. About time, then. Congrats, Ennis."

Joe and Hugo were still smiling a little as the turbolift doors opened and they went toward the transporter room. Ennis felt like he had everyone's eyes on him. Whatever crap had gone down in Ten Forward last night, seems like it hadn't stayed there, and it made him madder than hell to think on. He wanted to punch Joe and Hugo just for knowing what they knew, just for knowing the truth. He wanted to punch Guinan for the whiskey, and punch that silly friend of Jack's for being all loud, and punch Troi for hearing (and just for being an empath 'cause it wasn't right for someone to know another person's feelings, wasn't right at all… unless it _was_ right, like with him n' Jack), and punch Troi too for the fact that she must have told Worf, and that brought it around to Joe and Hugo.

But Joe had known before—might have always known. And Hugo didn't seem to care, except that he was still smiling at Ennis's fortune—which wasn't really Ennis's fortune because he had no intentions of marrying Jack Twist in any ceremony, public or private. Even Worf had seemed a little less stern for a moment there, and Ennis respected Worf. He didn't go sharing his business, just like a man shouldn't.

But maybe no one cared if a man did. Hugo and Joe weren't looking at him; they were looking at Chief O'Brien, and then the Orion ambassador, and then the halls around them. And they knew about him, and about Jack. Joe had known for a while. Who else knew? Ennis felt his cheeks grow warm.

The ambassador asked for a moment alone in his room to change before seeing the captain and the three of them were standing in the hallway outside the lavish quarters when Hugo turned back towards Ennis, still smiling. "So, Ennis, when do we get to meet this guy? Come on, tell us about him."

Ennis kept his head down to the floor, trying to imagine Hugo wasn't here, wasn't asking him.

"Come on." Hugo gave him a playful punch on his shoulder. "What's he do?"

Ennis suppressed the urge to give the man a real punch back. One thing he'd learned in Starfleet was to control his violent urges, channel them until the appropriate time. He'd learned that the hard way, beating the crap out of a man in Basic. He'd been threatened with a discharge for that, but the last thing Ennis had wanted was to be sent back to his father—and away from Jack. It was in his record, though, and a second strike was all it would take to get him transferred to another ship. He knew that all too well.

"He's in astrometrics, I think," Joe answered in the space made by Ennis's silence.

Ennis found himself mumbling under his own breath, surprising even himself to hear the words leave his mouth.

"What was that? Did you say something, Ennis?"

Ennis looked up sidelong to meet Hugo's eyes, and then looked back down to his boots, shuffling his feet nervously. "Uh, said," Ennis cleared his throat, "uh, astrophysics, not astrometrics? He's an astrophysics assistant."

"Oh, a smarty then?" Hugo beamed. "I know something about that. T'Pari and I will have to have the two of you over for dinner. My wife? She's an astrochemist. They can probably talk shop. We can be the scientific widowers."

Ennis shook his head. "Nope, Jack hates ta talk shop." His voice was quiet and aimed towards his boots still.

Hugo didn't get a chance to respond as the Orion ambassador opened the door and requested to be taken to the captain. Ennis was supposed to stay behind and sweep the suite for bugs.

Alone in the quarters, Ennis pulled out his tricorder and began his sweep. He felt good to be alone and breathing easy again. But part of him was disappointed to, the part of him that had felt a soaring high to be talking about Jack aloud in the hallway like they were a real, honest-to-God couple.


	2. Chapter 2: Logic Dictates

**Disclaimer: Some of these characters belong to Anne Proulx, others to Gene Roddenberry. I make no money from this. **

**Chapter 2: Logic Dictates **

When it happened, Jack nearly fell off his chair. He saw Guinan stop wiping the bar. She spared him just one knowing smile before he couldn't see her any more through a little haze of water that'd managed to work its way across his vision.

Ennis, for the first time ever, had walked into Ten Forward and made straight for Jack's table. He'd sat down like it was nothing. Jack was still dumbstruck when the waiter asked for his drink order. Ennis told the waiter, almost too quiet to hear, that Guinan knew what they wanted. The waiter was gone in a flash.

Ennis seemed to be finding his boot toe interesting, and Jack simply could not find his voice. When he did, what came out was "Well, shit!" He didn't want to say more. He didn't want to scare Ennis off.

"I, umm, you know Hugo?"

"Guy you work with, right?"

"Yeah, he wants us ta come ta dinner tonight. With his wife. Wouldn't take no."

Jack's eyes grew Antedean-wide, and he pursed his lips, cocked his head. "You didn' kill him?"

"No!" He got a glare from Ennis.

Just then their whiskey arrived. Ennis threw back a couple shots quickly and stood. "I gotta go shower. I'll pick you up in a hour." And he left.

_Pick me up? Like for a date?_ Jack didn't know if this was heaven, but he figured he must be dead regardless. Maybe it was some sort of weird alien wormholey time thing. Those sorts of things happened from time to time. He chuckled to himself and leaned back in his chair, really just enjoying the view for once.

"Excuse me?" The voice at Jack's back shattered his thoughts.

"Sir!" Jack snapped straight upright, staring into the chest of Lieutenant Commander Data.

"I noticed you were sitting here with Crewman del Mar a moment ago. Do you mind if I join you and ask you something?"

"Uh... no, sure, that's fine, sir."

Data sat down quickly, pinning Jack with his eerie golden eyes. "Counselor Troi and Commander Worf were speaking about the two of you today."

Jack groaned inwardly. Being gossip among the command crew wasn't really good news to his years. He didn't like the idea of his most senior commanding officers talking about him, and he was guessing they hadn't been expected Data to tattle on them.

Data continued, unphased. "They expressing surprise that you and del Mar were planning to wed. As a student of human nature, I am curious as to why a couple with a long, monogamous relationship would invoke surprise by expressing their intentions to celebrate that relationship. Keep in mind, if my questions seem inappropriate, please do not answer them. I am asking out of personal curiosity only."

Jack sighed and sat back a bit. "Well, Commander..."

"I have found that while engaging in personal conversation it is better if the parties involved use first names. Please call me Data, Petty Officer."

"Alright, then y'ought a call me Jack."

Data nodded. Jack continued. "You see... Data," the informal name sounded odd on his tongue, speaking to one of the most senior officers on the Starship, but he barreled ahead, aware that Data couldn't even take offense. "Ennis an' me... we been together a long time. Ennis doesn't really like people to know he's... whell, that he's in a relationship with a man."

"Ah! You are referring to the deviation from customary Earth relationships know as homosexuality."

Jack felt his shoulders stiffen at the word "deviation," but knew Data meant no offense by it, just as incapable of purposefully inflicting pain as of receiving it. "Yeah..." Jack breathed.

"I understand there may still be existing stigmas against such relationships among rural and isolated peoples of Earth, but have you encountered such a stigma aboard the _Enterprise_?"

"No..." Jack shook his head slowly. "But Ennis... well, Ennis an' me come from rural and isolated folks, ...Data" The name still felt awkward.

"Ah! I see, so it is a part of your personal cultural background to assume that such a stigma exists."

"Yeah..." Jack sighed again.

"Then Crewman del Mar's acquiescence to be married is indeed an event of surprise."

"To me too, Data. He hasn't acquiesced to anythin'. It was jus' a rumor started by Guinan."

"I do not understand why Guinan would start such a rumor."

"Me neither," Jack's chest sagged a bit, but he felt like he was lying just a little bit. Maybe he did know why Guinan had started it. Or maybe he was starting to understand. He rolled his empty whiskey tumbler idly on the table and eyed the flask of real whiskey in front of him. Something was changing, after all. Ennis sat with him in Ten Forward, and now they had a fucking dinner date with one of Ennis's co-workers. Maybe Guinan was planning to pull Ennis out of that closet any way she had to, to show him that it was safe on the outside, something Jack already knew and had already tried to tell his man.

"Do you mind if I ask another question? I have not had the opportunity to speak so openly with a human who identifies as homosexual."

Jack's eyes grew wider. What was Data planning on asking? The question scared him a bit, but he said, "Yeah, sure, but I got a go in a few."

"Have you always identified as a homosexual?"

"Uuhh, well, I think maybe so, yeah." Jack's face twisted a little bit in thought.

"It has been determined to be a genetic different."

"Yup."

"Humanity has a long history of discrimination based on genetic differences, but I thought those had been overcome."

Jack just shrugged. He had nothing to say about that. He wasn't trying to change humanity. He just wanted to sit across the table in Ten Forward from the man he'd been in love with for six years. He just wanted to assure they'd be stationed together, wanted to share the same quarters. He just wanted to use the word husband out loud in conversation. And he could have all of that if he could make Ennis believe it.

"Ah, well, good luck, then. Thank you for sharing this conversation." Data nodded, stood, and walked off, Jack tossing a distracted nod towards his superior officer's retreating back.

Tossing back a last taste of whiskey, Jack headed off to his quarters to shower and change. He threw a polite nod in Guinan's direction on his way out.

-------------

Jack was toweling off his hair, already in blue woolen tunic and grey fitted slacks, when the door chimed. "Ennis, what the hell?..." He went to open the door.

Ennis was standing outside, fidgeting and looking down and off to the side. His egg-shell shirt was hastily-tucked into brown slacks. A loose, lighter brown jacket hung open and big around his skinny frame. He reached down to repair his tuck-job, and muttered, "y'ready?"

"Depends, you plannin' on not lookin' at me all evenin'? And since when do ya ring the door chime?"

"Huh?" Ennis looked up at him for the first time, still jouncing a leg nervously, and not listening too well.

"Come on in," Jack sighed. "We got 'bout ten minutes."

"Uh, yeah," Ennis entered. They usually spent the night at Ennis's place, but Jack's was still well-lived in, and maybe one night a week was spent here, Jack having the bigger quarters. Ennis leaned back against the window to look out at the stars while Jack finished combing his hair.

"Alright, Ennis, all ready? You sure 'bout this."

"Don't got no choice," Ennis muttered.

"I dunno, seems like you coulda come up with some excuse." Jack was secretly wondering if Ennis had been as coerced into this as he was pretending. Ennis could be strong-willed and a half, and Jack was downright hurt if, in one day, Hugo had accomplished what Jack couldn't in six years. Noep, this couldn't be Hugo's doing. Something else was going on here. Jack didn't want to question it too deeply, though, remembering what his Mama had told him about gift horses.

Ten minutes later, Ennis was touching the door chime of Hugo's quarters on Deck Five. A trim, lithe little Vulcan woman answered. She was surprisingly short, and dressed in a woolen magenta jumpsuit. "Hello," her eyebrow shot up appraisingly. "I am T'Pari, Hugo's wife. You must be Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist."

Ennis cleared his throat and nodded. "I, um, I'm Ennis del Mar, ma'am. Ennis'd be fine. And this here's Jack."

"Pleased ta meetcha, ma'am."

"Please, come in."

The dinner went just fine for a while. Hugo had a little Tex-Mex smorgasbord prepared. They had nachos and salsa (Ennis avoiding the salsa at all costs), mushroom quesadilla, and all sorts of little fried goodies of meat wrapped in tortillas. Everyone eat in mostly silence as Jack, Ennis, and Hugo ate like they hadn't had food in a week. T'Pari took a small serving of cheese quesadilla and had a protein soup. Jack saw Ennis frown in the soup's direction, and Jack just thought he was glad to have not been born Vulcan. Protein soup might be more logical, but he was betting it was a hell of a lot less tasty.

"So," Hugo fixed a mischievous smile at Jack, "you been putting up with this walking brick wall for _three years_?" He motioned towards Ennis with a fork.

Jack looked up, diagonally across at Hugo, and slowly shook his head. "Six. Since the beginning a basic."

"Holy! Ennis!" Hugo moved abruptly, and Ennis cringed and hissed, indicating that Hugo's kicked him under the table. "What the hell are you thinking! I thought three years justified a marriage, but six veritably screams for one!"

T'Pari was still eating in silence, and Jack wondered how such an... exuberant man and a Vulcan had ended up together. Then again, he didn't have to hardly glance at Ennis to see it was a stupid question to ask. Love just did strange things sometimes.

"Yup," Jack continued, shovelling more food into his mouth. "Ennis don't wanna be gay, an' bein' married ta a man makes you pretty gay."

Ennis's face started to turn red immediately, and he lowered his head to hide behind his food. Hugo opened his mouth to talk, but it was T'Pari who spoke. She'd been so quiet all night.

"I find it utterly illogical to maintain a lie after everyone knows it is a lie."

"How's'at?" Ennis muttered.

T'Pari pinned him with a sharp gaze. "_Everyone_ on board the _Enterprise_ will know your sexual preferences before the end of the week. After all, Hugo knows."

"And Yoshimoto Ayame," Jack added, nodding.

T'Pari's eyebrows flew up. "Indeed? If Science Officer Yoshimoto finds the issue to be of public interest, I would be quite surprised if the majority of the ship didn't know _already_. What possible benefit do you get from continuing this ruse?"

Ennis met her eyes, rolling his food around in his mouth. He just shrugged and leaned back over, but T'Pari seemed to take it as reason to continue the conversation.

"In addition, you would get assigned to the same quarters, you would be assured the same transfers, you would be scheduled for the same shift. There is really no sensible reason not to get married."

Hugo, somehow sensing Ennis's extreme discomfort, smiled nervously at Jack. "Jack. What do you like for dessert?"

"Anythin's fine, really."

"No preference?"

Ennis spoke up quietly from his end of the table. "Cherry cake."

"What's that, Ennis?" Hugo asked.

"Cherry cake. Uh, Jack likes cherry cake."

Hugo smiled wide. "Cherry cake it is."

They ate dessert in silence, said cordial goodbyes, and went back to Jack's quarters tonight, a noticeable occurrence in and of itself. They undressed in silence, got into loose pajamas, and climbed into Jack's just-slightly-larger-than-twin bed.

"Jack?" Ennis's voice seemed quiet in the dark cabin.

"What's that, Ennis?"

"If we, I mean, married couples? They get a full size bed right?"

Jack chuckled, but was asleep and dreaming long before he could even think of a quirky response.


End file.
